Separator



Sept. 1, 1942. G. A. VISSAC 2,294,587

' SEPARATOR Filed Feb.- 11, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 r s I v INVENTOR Gustave Andre Vfssac BY M ATTORNEY S pt. '1 1942. I r G. A; VISSAC 2,294,587

SEPARATOR' Filed Feb. 11, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I 32' f I III: "IIII"!IIIIIIIIIIIHHHHIIHIIHIILLLLLI I 48 26 Y lNVENTOR Gustave Andre V|'ssac ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 1, 1942 UNlT-ED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,294,587 SEPARATOR Gustave Andre Vissao, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Application February 11, 1941, Serial No. 378,424 8 Claims. (01. 209-458) Another object is the provisions of apparatus of the nature described which is particularly adapted for handling fine granular materials, such as in the case of washing fine coal.

A further object is the provision of a separator in which granular materials of di'fierent specific gr'avities are stratified by flowing water, including means for forming the heavier material into a bed and for removing the lighter material Without disturbing "the bed or interfering with the stratification of the materials.

A still further object is the provision of a separator capable of separating equivalent particles of different granular materials.

This invention relates to a sluice-type washer and separator and it is particularly adapted for washing fine coal. The coal and accompanying impurities are fed to the sluice and a current of water stratifies these materials with the heavier materials, in this case, rock, at the bottom and the lighter coal at the top. In most of the known launders or sliiice washers, pockets are formed at the bottom of the sluice or trough for removing the lower strata, but with their present arrangement, this action disturbs the Stratification resulting in poor separation, and any normal variation of the quantity of .the coalbei'ng treated necessitates a change in the adjustment of the apparatus. The constant changes in the quantity and quality of the coal makes it practically impossible to maintain the apparatus in proper adjustment.

Another problem that has never been successfully overcome is that of handling equivalent granular particles. In coal washing, the trouble is separating particles of rock from larger particles of coal which, during Stratification, remain at the same level therewith. These are known as equivalent particle's. For example, particles of rock of a certain size may settle to the same level as particles of coal twice their size, in which case the equivalence between the rock and coal is stated as 1 to 2. The equivalence varies with the type of rock mixed with the coal. With the known launder washers, there is no way of dealing with equivalent particles, the materials being merely passed over and over again through the launder until they break down to smaller sizes, butth'is does not always end in a satisfactory separation.

The present invention overcomes these diflic'ul ties by providing a sluice box divided by a vertical longitudinal partition into a primary and secondary compartment, said .partition having one or more spaced openings therein at the bottom thereof. A rifile extends across the bottom of the primary compartment at each opening and lies at an angle to the flow of water and ma terials therethrough, said riflie being adapted to direct the lower strata of the materials stratified by the water, through the adjacent opening into the secondary compartment. Upper and lower barrages are situated on the bottom of the sluice in the primary and secondary compartments "respectively above and below each opening in order to form a shallow bed of material con- .fined by said barrages and the riflie. The bar'- rages and the riffle form a shallow 'pocket on the bottom of the sluice box in which the bed of material is formed. Suitable means is provided for preventing the bed from packing too tightly.

The method of handling equivalent particles is to form a plurality of these pockets in the sluice each with its bed of material, but each pocket and bed is slightly shallower than the preceding one. The first pocket removes the largest particles of rock and each following pocket progressively removes slightly smaller particles of rock While permitting the equivalent but larger particles of coal to be washed thereover.

With the above and other objects in view the present invention consists essentially of apparatus for separating granular material of different specific gravities, comprising a sluice box having at least one opening at the bottom of a side thereof spaced some distance from the forward end of the box, means for supplying materials and water to the forward end of the box, said water being adapted to stratify the materials before reaching the opening, and means at the opening for directing the smaller particles of the lower strata of heavier materials through the opening, as more fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of the separator,

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view of the device,

Figure 3 is an enlarged. fragmentary plan view of the separator,

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a transverse section taken on the line 55 of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is an angular sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 3,

Figure 7 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 'I'I of Figure 3, and

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic section through a pocket and its bed.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, II! is a sluice box, preferably sloping, having a hopper II at its upper or forward end communicating therewith, said hopper having a control gate I2 for regulating the size of the opening between the sluice box and the hopper. A vertical longitudinal partition I3 divides the box I into primary and secondary compartments I4 and I5, respectively, said primary compartment preferably converging or growing narrower and the secondary compartment preferably diverging or growing wider towards the lower end of the sluice box. The compartment I may terminate at a point spaced below the upper end of the sluice box, as shown in Figure 2.

A pipe I6 having a control valve I1 is adapted to supply water to the hopper I I from a suitable source (not shown) while one end of a pipe I8 extends into the upper end of the compartment I5, said latter pipe having a control valve 20 therein and being connected to a water supply pipe 2| which is connected to a suitable source (not shown). The partition I3 has one or more, and preferably several, openings 22 at the bottom thereof which, if there is more than one, are substantially equally spaced apart. In any case, the first opening 22 is spaced some distance from the upper or forward end of the sluice box.

As the elements associated with each opening 22 are substantially the same, only one need now be described in detail.

Suitable means is provided for regulating the size of the opening 22, such as, for example, a door 23 which overlaps and always covers the opening and it is slidably mounted in any suitable manner, such as by horizontal guides 24 mounted on the partition I3 over the opening and at each side of the bottom thereof, said door being slidable longitudinally of the sluice box. The door is provided at its bottom with an opening 25 approximately the same width as the adjacent opening 22 but not necessarily so high. A vertical slidable gate 26 is mounted on the door 23 in any desired manner, such as in vertical guides 21, and suitable means is provided for holding this gate in any adjusted position. In the drawings, a threaded shaft 28 extends upwardly from the gate freely through a lug 30 carried by the door 23, and has one or two nuts 3| threaded thereon above said lug. With this arrangement, the size of the opening between the compartments I4 and I5 may be regulated by moving the door 23 to bring the opening 25 thereof into or out of complete registry with the opening 22 in the partition I3 and/or by raising or lowering the gate 26.

A riiile 32 extends across the bottom of the primary compartment I4 and lies at an angle to the length of the compartment. This rifile extends from the lower side of the opening 22 upwardly and outwardly to the wall of the sluice box II] at a point above said opening and it is secured in place in any suitable manner, such as by clamping bolts 33 which extend upwardly from the riiile and are threaded through a support 34 extending across and secured to the upper edges of the walls of the box I0. An upper barrage 35 extends across the bottom of the compartment I4 at right angles thereto a short distance above the upper end of the riiile 32 and. a lower barrage 36 extends across the compartment I5 at right angles thereto just below the opening 22. The barrages 35 and 36 are held in position in the same manner as the riilie 32, that is, by clamping bolts, 31 and 38, respectively, extending upwardly therefrom, the bolts 31 being threaded through a support extending across the top of the sluice box and the bolt 38 being threaded through the support 34. The riffle 32 is preferably not quite so high as the upper barrage while the lower barrage is preferably not as high as the rifile. These barrages and the rifile form a shallow pocket on the bottom of the sluice box.

A suitable screen M, such as a wedge wire screen, covers an opening in the bottom of the sluice above the rifiie 32 which extends from the upper end of said riflie through the opening 22 in the partition I3 to the outer wall of the secondary compartment I5. Actually, the screen il extends from one side to the other of the sluice box at an angle thereto, said angle being substantially the same as that of the rifiie 32,

and the screen naturally slopes downwardly from its upper end owing to the inclination of the sluice box.

A relatively narrow receptacle 42 is secured to the bottom of the sluice box in any suitable manner and it underlies the entire screen II. This receptacle tapers downwardly to an outlet 43 into which a plug 44 removably fits. A pipe 45 having a control valve 45 therein, see Fig.

2, extends into and longitudinally of the receptacle 24 below the screen II and has a plurality of holes 41 in its upper surface within the receptacle. An inverted U-shaped shield 48 lies over that portion of the pipe 45 within the receptacle between said pipe and the screen.

In operation, the material, in this case coal, is supplied to the hopper I I in any suitable manner and a desired quantity of water is supplied thereto through the pipe I5. The water washes the coal down along the primary compartment I4 of the sluice box III, the flow thereof being regulated by the gate I2. The first opening 22 and its associated pocket are located some distance from the hopper so that the coal and the accompanying impurities, such as rock, are stratified by the current of water by the time they reach this opening, the largest particles of rock forming the lower strata. At first the rock piles upon the high side of the upper barrage 35 to form a natural ramp for the remainder of the lower strata. Next, the rock forms a bed in the pocket over the screen II confined by the upper barrage, the rifiie 32 and the lower barrage 36, the depth of this bed depending upon the height of the riffle and the lower barrage. The bed extends through the opening 22 into the secondary compartment I5 and the width of the bed depends upon the width of the opening 25 which is regulated by the position of the door 23 in relation to the opening 22. The rock piles up behind the upper barrage and before the riffle so that the water in the sluice box is enabled to flow naturally and continuously over the bed: without any undue disturbance, resulting in the strata above the lower ones being undisturbed- Figure 8 diagrammatically illustrates a section.

through a pocket and its bed. This shows. how the lower strata piles. around the barrage and the rilile, consequently preventing the disturbance of the flow of water. Once. the bed; isformed, the weight of' any additional particles of rock causes said bed to slide downwardly along the inclined rifiie into. the secondary compartment, thus forcing a corresponding quantity of rock particles over the lower barrage. Water continuously supplied to the receptacle 42' by the pipe 45, flows upwardly through the screen ll to keep the bed thereon in a loose state. Any sludge accumulating in the receptacle may be evacuated therefrom from time to time. by removing. the plug 46.

In this way rock is separated from the coal by statification and removed into the secondary compartment where a stream of water from the pipe l8 keeps it moving towards the lower end of the sluice box. The same thing takes place at each succeeding opening 22 in the partition of the sluice box so that by the time the coal reaches the lower end of the sluice, practically all the rock has been separated and removed therefrom. As the quantity of material in the primary compartment grows less and that in the secondary compartment increases towards the lower or rearward end of the sluice box, it is preferable to reduce the size of the primary and to increase the size of the secondary compartments towards said lower end. If necessary, the coal may be run through two or more of these separators.

A very simple form of apparatus for carrying out this invention would be a sluice box consisting merely of the primary compartment M which has one or more openings 22 atv the bottom of one side thereof. The lower barrage 36 may be placed across each opening and the latter may discharge out of the device. In this example, the pockets formed by the riflles and barrages may be progressively shallower towards the lower or rearward end of the sluice box.

The method of dealing with equivalent particles is as follows:

The coal may, for example, be made up. of particles of the following sizes in inches, fi, and so that the rock mixed therewith is made up of particles of practically the same sizes. It is easy to separate the largest particles of coal from the rock of the same size since the former are lighter than the latter and, therefore, they are separated by stratification. The difficulty is, however, to separate particles. of coal of a certain size from equivalent particles of rock. In order to accomplish this, each pocket. is progressively shallower than the preceding pocket. The largest particles of rock, inch, are separated from the remainder of the materials in the upper part of the sluice and form the lower strata which are removed from the primary compartment into the secondary compartment by the first and, possibly, the second pockets. Then inch particles of coal and the equivalent inch of particles of rock form the lower strata. The next riifie, 32 traps the smaller particles of rock while the larger particles of coal are washed thereover. These particles of rock are evacuated into the secondary compartment. Next the e inch particles of coal and the 3 7 inch particles of rock form the lower riffie. This takes. place. at each succeeding pocket until all the rock' is removed from the coal.

Once this separator is set it functions automatically since it takes care of any normal strata and the latter are removed by the next 7 changes in the quantity or quality of coal being treated. Any increase in the amount of coal passing along the sluice box merely results in a more rapid movement of the beds in the pockets so that the rock or refuse is evacuated morequickly. The only elements which need adjustment are the gate I2, the size of the opening 25 and the flow of water into the compartments of the sluice box and into the receptacle 42.

From the above it will readily be seen that a methodand apparatus has been provided. for separating. granular materials of different specific gravitiies, and particularly fine granular materials, in= asimple, rapid and economical manner, and which is capable of successfully dealing with equivalent particles.

Various modifications may be made in this invention without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of thev claims, and therefore the exact forms shownv are to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense, and it is desired that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are disclosed in the prior art or are set, forth in the accompanying claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Apparatus for separating granular materials of different specific gravities comprising a sluice box, a vertical longitudinal partition dividing the sluice box into primary and secondary compartments, said partition having at least one opening formed therein at the bottom thereof spaced some distance from the forward end of the box, means for supplying materials to the forward end of the primary compartment, means for supplying water to each compartment, at its. forward end, the water in the primary compartment. being adapted to stratify the materials before reaching the opening, an inclined rifiie on the bottom of the primary compartment. extending from the rearward side of the opening. towards the forward end of the compartment and. outwardly to the opposite side thereof, a screen covering an opening in the bottom of the sluice box in front of the rifiie, a receptacle secured to the bottom of the box and underlying the screen, and means for supplying water to the receptacle to flow upwardly through the screen, whereby the smaller particles of the lower strata of heavier materials collect before the rifiie over the screen to be directed by said rifile into the secondary compartment.

2. Apparatus for separating granular materials from different specific gravities, comprising a sluice box, a vertical longitudinal partition dividing the sluice box into primary and secondary compartments, said partition having at least one opening formed therein at the bottom thereof spaced somedistance from the forward end of the box, means for supplying materials to the forward end of' the primary compartment, means for supplying water to each compartment at its forward end, the. water in the primary compartment being adapted to stratify the materials before reaching the opening, an inclined riifle on the bottom of the primary compartment extending from the rearward side of the opening towards the forward end of the compartment and outwardly to the opposite side thereof, a barrage on the bottom of the primary compartment beyond the end of the rifl'le, a barrage on the bottom. of the secondary compartment at the rearward side of the opening, a screen covering an opening in the bottom of the sluice box in front of the rifiie, and between the barrages, said opening and screen extending from the primary compartment into the secondary compartment, a receptacle secured to the bottom of the box and underlying the screen, and means for supplying water to the receptacle to flow upwardly through the screen, whereby the smaller particles of the heavier materials of the lower strata in the primary compartment form a bed on the screen confined by the barrages and the riifie which the latter directs through the opening into the secondary compartment.

3. Apparatus for separating granular materials of different specific gravities, comprising a sluice box, a vertical longitudinal partition dividing the sluice box into primary and secondary compartments, said partition having a plurality of spaced openings formed therein at the bottom thereof the first of which being spaced some distance from the forward end of the box, means for supplying materials to the forward end of the primary compartment, means for supplying water to each compartment at its forward end, the water in the primary compartment being adapted to stratify the materials before reaching the first opening, and means at each opening for directing the smaller particles of the lower strata of heavier materials at that point through the adjacent opening into the secondary compartment where the water therein washes said particles out of the sluice box.

4. Apparatus for separating granular materials of different specific gravities, comprising a sluice box, a vertical longitudinal partition dividing the sluice box into primary and secondary compartments, said partition having a plurality of spacedv openings formed therein at the bottom thereof the first of which being spaced some distance from the forward end of the box, means for supplying materials to the forward end of the primary compartment, means for supplying water to each compartment at its forward end, the water in the primary compartment being adapted to stratify the materials before reaching the first opening, means forming a shallow pocket on the bottom of the sluice at each opening, the lower strata of heavier materials at each pocket forming a bed in said pocket, and means for directing each bed through the adjacent opening into the secondary compartment where the water therein washes the heavier materials out of thesluice box.

5. Apparatus for separating granular materials of different specific gravities, comprising a sluice r,

box, a vertical longitudinal partition dividing the sluice box into primary and secondary compartments, said partition having a plurality of spaced openings formed therein at the bottom thereof the first of which being spaced some distance from the forward end of the box, means for supplying materials to the forward end of the primary compartment, means for supplying water to each compartment at its forward end, the water in the primary compartment being adapted to stratify the materials before reaching the first opening, and an inclined riffie on the bottom of the primary compartment at each opening extending from the rearward side thereof towards the forward end of the compartment and outwardly to the opposite side thereof, each successive riffle being lower than the preceding one and directing th smaller particles of the lower strata of heavier materials at that point through the adjacent opening into the secondary compartment where the water therein washes said particles out of the sluice box.

6. Apparatus for separating granular materials of different specific gravities, comprising a sluice box, a vertical longitudinal partition dividing the sluice box into primary and secondary compartments, said partition having a plurality of spaced openings formed therein at the bottom thereof the first of which being spaced some distance from the forward end of the box, means for supplying materials to the forward end of the primary compartment, means for supplying water to each compartment at its forward end, the water in the primary compartment being adapted to stratify the materials before reaching the first opening, an inclined riffle on the bottom of the primary compartment at each opening extending from the rearward side thereof towards the forward end of the compartment and outwardly to the opposite side thereof, a barrage on the bottom of the primary compartment beyond the forward end of each riffie, and a barrage on the bottom of the secondary compartment at the rear of each partition opening, each rifile and barrage in the primary compartment and each barrage in the secondary compartment being lower than the corresponding preceding one, whereby the smaller particles of the heavier materials of the lower strata in the primary compartment at each opening forms a bed confined by the barrages and the riflle which the latter directs through the adjacent opening into the secondary compartment.

'7. Apparatus for separating granular materials of different specific gravities, comprising a sluice box, a Vertical longitudinal partition dividing the sluice box into primary and secondary compartments, said partition having a plurality of spaced openings formed therein at the bottom thereof, the first of which being spaced some distance from the forward end of the box, means for supplying materials to the forward end of the primary compartment, means for supplying water to each compartment, at its forward end, the water in the primary compartment being adapted to stratify the materials before reaching the first opening, an inclined riflle on the bottom of the primary compartment at each opening extending from the rearward side thereof towards the forward end of the compartment and outwardly to the opposite side thereof, a barrage on the bottom of the primary compartment beyond the forward end of each riffle, a barrage on the bottom of the secondary compartment at the rear of each partition opening, each riffle and barrage in the primary compartment and each barrage in the secondary compartment being lower than the corresponding preceding one, a screen covering an opening in the bottom of the sluice box in front of each riffie and between the accompanying barrages, said opening and screen extending from the primary compartment into the secondary compartment, a receptacle secured to the bottom of the box underlying each screen,

- and means for supplying water to the receptacle to flow upwardly through the screens, whereby the smaller particles of the heavier materials of the lower strata in the primary compartment at each opening form a bed on the screen confined by the barrages and the rifile which the latter directs through the opening into the secondary compartment.

8. Apparatus for separating the granular materials of different specific gravities, comprising a sloping sluice box, a vertical longitudinal nartition dividing the sluice box into primary and secondary compartments, said partition having at least one opening formed therein at the bottom thereof spaced some distance from the upper end of the box, a door slidably covering the opening and having an opening therein at the bottom thereof, said door being slidable longitudinally of the sluice box, a vertically slidable gate for regulating the height of the opening in the door, said door and gate being adapted to regulate the size of the partition opening, means for supplying materials to the upper end of the primary compartment, means for supplying Water to each compartment at its upper end, the water in the primary compartment being adapted to stratify the materials before reaching the opening, and means at the opening for directing the smaller particles of the lower strata of heavier materials through the opening into the secondary compartment where the water therein washes 0 said particles out of the sluice box.

GUSTAVE ANDRE VISSAC. 

